Procrastination is the FATHER of all evil

14 July 2010, Wednesday

It's funny that people do not treat time with the respect it deserves. Many people have the tendency to procrastinate.

Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last possible minute, can be a major problem in both our career and our personal life. Side effects include missed opportunities, frenzied work hours, stress, overwhelm, resentment, and guilt.

Some people enjoy procrastinating. People procrastinate because they're overwhelmed with too much on their plate, and procrastination gives them an escape. Other times they''ll feel tired and lazy, and they just can't get going. But for most others, it's more of a habit.

We put things off because we don't want to do them, or because we have too many other things to do. Putting things off—big or small—is part of being human.

Some people love the rush of adrenalin they get when they finish a task ten minutes before it's due, but we (and our body) are getting tired of pulling all-nighters. We feel okay about procrastinating while in college, but you worry that this habit will follow you into your working life.

If we put off washing the dishes, but the dishes don't bother us, who cares? When our procrastination leaves us feeling discouraged and overburdened, however, it is time to take action.

For most procrastinators, because it is habitual, they aren't going to wake up tomorrow and never procrastinate again. But they might wake up tomorrow and do one or two simple things that will help them finish that task a little earlier or with less stress.

Taking the time to learn about why we procrastinate may help us avoid the cycle whereby we swear up and down that we will never procrastinate again, only to find that the next time we have a task due, we are up until 5 a.m. trying to complete the task - without knowing why or how we got there.

Personally, I avoid procrastination like the plague!!! I abhor people who are habitual procrastinators. And many people close and dear to me find my habit intimidating because I'm a stickler for punctuality and DO NOT LIKE to do things at the last minute. And I become easily upset and jittery when people close to me do things at the last minute.

I simply do not understand why people need to procrastinate when things can be done early, in a systematic way and with sufficient time to complete a task or job. Especially to my loved ones, STOP PROCRASTINATING.......and get your task/assignment/work done ASAP!!!